had great edification, beauty, pleasantry, and noble- CHAP. ness. It is a great loss to our curiosity, perhaps

43

to our education, that we have not these tales, or moral apologues, which were existing in the reign of Henry the Second.4

ALFRED is also praised for his excellence in proverbial sayings.45 Some collections of this sort • have been noticed by his biographer, Spelman, which may perhaps contain some of his ideas, as they were preserved by tradition, and in a later age committed to writing; but they are probably not wholly in the phrases of his own composition."

OF Alfred's manual or memorandum book, which seems to have existed in Malmsbury's days", and

43 So the MSS. Chron. Joan. Oxenedes says:

"Parabolæ ejus plurimum habentes edificationis, venustatis, jocunditatis et nobilitatis." Cott. Lib. MSS. Nero, D. 2.

44 Ail. Riev., who then lived, declares," Extant parabolæ ejus," &c., using nearly the same words as Oxenedes, p. 355.

45" In proverbiis ita enituit ut nemo post illum amplius." Ann Eccl. Wint. 1 Angl. Sacra, p. 289. Some of these are noticed in the Old English dialogue between the owl and the nightingale.

46 One of these, the least likely to be Alfred's, may be seen in Dr. Hickes's Anglo-Saxon Grammar, p. 222. The other, which suits better Alfred's wisdom, has been quoted by Spelman, in his Life of Alfred, and translated from the MS. in the Cotton Library. See p.94. of Walker's edition, and 127. of Hearne's. Spelman's extracts may be more valued, as the Cotton MS. of Galba, A. 19., was ruined by the fire which destroyed much valuable antiquity.

47 Malmsbury's references to this show, that it was not a mere receptacle for devout extracts, but was rather a general common-place book; for he cites from it some traits of biography, and observations on a piece of poetry. Qui enim legit manualem librum regis Elfredi, reperiet Kenterum Beati Aldhelmi patrum non fuisse regis Inæ germanum sed arctissima necessitudine consanguineum," lib. v. De Pont. 341. Again, speaking of Aldhelm, he says, he cultivated Anglo-Saxon poetry, "Adeo ut, teste libro Elfredi, de quo superius dixi, nullo unquam ætate par ei fuerit quisquam poesin Anglicam posse facere, tantum componere, eadem apposite vel canere vel dicere. Denique commemorat Elfredus carmen triviale quod adhuc vulgo cantitatur Aldelmum fecisse." By the next paragraph, Alfred seems to have reasoned upon the subject. His manual was therefore the repository

III.

BOOK which would have been such a curiosity to modern times, not even a remnant has been found.

V.

His taste

THE genius of Alfred was not confined to literain the arts. ture: it also extended to the arts; and in three of these, architecture, ship-building, and gold and silver workmanship, he obtained an excellence which corresponded with his other talents.

Architecture.

Shipbuilding.

Workman.

ship in gold.

ASSER mentions, "that he caused edifices to be constructed from his own new designs, more venerable and precious than those which his predecessors had raised."48 These not only consisted of halls and royal apartments, made of wood or stone, in pursuance of his directions, to the surprise of his contemporaries: but he also formed cities and towns, some of which he repaired, and others built; some he destroyed on their ancient sites, to raise them of stone, in positions more useful and appropriate.49 He was so earnest in these improvements, that he procured from many nations numerous artificers, versed in every sort of building, and he regularly appropriated a sixth of his yearly revenues to pay their expences, and remunerate their labour.50

His talent and cultivation of naval architecture have been already noticed.

He also taught his artisans and workers in gold31, and by his instructions, occasioned many things

of his own occasional literary reflections; for Malmsbury adds, speaking still of Alfred, “ Adjiciens causam qua probet rationabiliter, tantum virum his quæ videantur frivola, instituisse populum eo tempore semibarbarum, parum divinis sermonibus intentum, statim cantatis missis, cursitare solitum," p.342.

48 Et ædificia supra omnem antecessorum suorum consuetudinem venerabiliora et pretiosiora nova sua machinatione facere." Asser, 43. 49 Asser, 58. 50 Asser,,66. 51 Ibid. 43.

III.

to be incomparably executed (we use the epithet CHAP. of his contemporary) in gold and silver. 52 One specimen of his talent in this art yet exists to us in a jewel of gold, which was found near Athelney.53

In the less valuable pursuits of hunting, falconry, hawking, and coursing, he was also distinguished.54

52 Asser, 58.

53 On one side is a rude outline of a human figure apparently sitting, and holding what seem like two flowers. On the other side is a flower; it is much ornamented, and the workmanship is said to be excellent. The inscription expresses, that it was made by Alfred's orders.

54 Asser, 43.

V.

CHAP. IV.

ALFRED's Poetical Composition.

BOOK To the other accomplishments of his mind Alfred endeavoured to add that of poetry. Fond of Saxon poems from his infancy, he found a pleasure in attempting to compose them; and the metrums of Boetius afforded him the opportunity of practising his powers of language in this interesting art.

THE great characteristic of Saxon versification was the position of a few words in short lines, with a rythmical effect. As far as we can now discern, there were no rules of artificial prosody to be observed; but the ear was to be gratified by a rythm or musical effect in the pronunciation; and any brief sequence of syllables that would produce this pleasure was used and permitted.

Ir would be presumptuous, now that the AngloSaxon has so long ceased to be spoken, to decide peremptorily on the merit of Alfred's versification, which must have depended so much on the colloquial tones and cadences of his day. But as far as can be judged from a comparison of it with the compositions of Cedmon, the odes in the Saxon Chronicle, and the poem on Beowulf, it has not their general strength and fulness of rythm. Though at times sufficiently successful, it is weaker and less elevated than their style, and is not often much more musical than his own prose. Of its poetical feeling and mind we can better judge, as he has translated the metrums also into prose; and it may be said, without injustice, that

his verse has less intellectual energy than his prose. The diction is amplified to admit of its being made nearer to poetry, but it is rather diluted than improved. Here and there a few expressions of greater vigour occur, but, in general, the prose is not only more concise, but also more spirited and more clear.

YET it is only in comparison with his own prose that the merit of Alfred's poetry is thus questioned. His superior intellect in imitating and emulating, and sometimes passing beyond his original, has given it a value of thought and feeling, an infusion of moral mind, and a graceful ease of diction, which we shall look for in vain, to the same degree and effect, among the other remains of the Anglo-Saxon poetry.

THE reader who compares the description of the Golden Age, and the stories of Eurydice and Circe, inserted before from Alfred's prose, with his translations of the same into verse, will perceive that his poetry has not increased their interest. They are too long to be inserted here. But it will be a just respect to his memory to insert some of his other versifications of the metrums of Boetius, as specimens of the usual style of his poetical diction. He has so amplified and varied his originals as to make much of them his own compositions. The amount of the poetry of the king's mind will best appear from comparing the following effusions with the originals in Boetius, which are also given :

Alfred.

ON SERENITY OF MIND.

Thou mightest of the sun
Manifestly think;

And of all the other stars;

Boetius.

With black clouds hidden, no light can the stars emit. Lib. i. met. 7.

CHAP.

IV.